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For Iraqis, General’s Report Offers Bitter Truth

BAGHDAD, Sept. 11 — Iraqis found themselves in a difficult position on Tuesday as they reflected on the report to Congress by Gen. David H. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker. Although they say there is nothing they want more than to have American soldiers leave Iraq, they also say there is nothing they can afford less.

More than 20 Iraqis of different sects and ethnicities said in interviews across the country that they viewed the report favorably because it — or, at least the parts shown on television in Iraq — portrayed the situation accurately. They also said it signaled that there would be little change in the status quo.

Most of those who wanted a quicker pullback were politically close to the anti-American cleric Moktada al-Sadr, who has advocated immediate withdrawal. But even Mr. Sadr’s supporters left room for negotiation when it came to suggesting dates for withdrawal.

“We prefer the occupation forces get out today,” said Salah al-Ubaidi, the spokesman for Mr. Sadr’s office in Najaf. But he added: “The exact timetable of the withdrawal, in my opinion, is up to these forces to decide. It is up to the professionals in the security field.”

Mostly, Iraqis appeared rueful about their vulnerability and the need to allow foreign troops to help keep order for some time to come. Politicians were more measured in their views, and most stuck to the line that any withdrawal should be pegged to the readiness of Iraqi troops.

A city employee in Baquba, the capital of Diyala Province, vividly described his ambivalence.

“The withdrawal of the occupation forces is a must because they have caused the destruction of Iraq, they committed massacres against the innocents, they have double-crossed the Iraqis with dreams,” said the worker, Ahmad Umar al Esawi, a Sunni. “I want them to withdraw all their troops in one day.”

Dropping his voice, he continued: “There is something that I want to say although I hate to say it. The American forces, which are an ugly occupation force, have become something important to us, the Sunnis. We are a minority and we do not have a force to face the militias. If the Americans leave, it will mean a total elimination of the Sunnis in Iraq.”

Mr. Esawi added, “I know I said I want them to leave, but if we think about it, then I have to say I want them to stay for a while until we end all the suspicions we have of each other and have a strong national government.”

Several people said they were certain that the trend of decreasing violence cited by General Petraeus would reverse itself as soon as the Americans left.

“Violence could erupt at any moment if the Americans leave,” said Sara al-Zubaidi, 30, a Baghdad resident whose father is Sunni and whose mother is Shiite. “The ones who do these terrible things are asleep, not gone. They are waiting for the opportunity, just waiting for the opportunity to eat one another,” said Ms. Zubaidi, a graduate of the city’s College of Arts.

In interviews four months ago, many Iraqis refused to say how long American troops should stay. Now, however, some say they want them here for a minimum of three years, and maybe even five years. Ms. Zubaidi said she thought five years would be the minimum, adding that the police and army needed to be remade to root out sectarianism.

“They will need five years,” she said. “The first year they need to prepare themselves properly to work with the Iraqi people. Then they need a year or two years to start from the ground building the security services and then. ...” She lowered her voice and looked around as if she was afraid someone might be listening, then continued: “They need one year to prepare a government for Iraq that is built not on a sectarian foundation. It must be a secular government.

“Religion has nothing to do with government,” she said. “Religion is in my heart.”

Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki in his speech to Parliament on Monday, acknowledged that the country was not ready for the American forces to withdraw. In subdued language, he voiced the views of many Iraqis.

“We quietly realize that we need more time before our security forces can take over the security dossier throughout Iraq from the multinational forces,” he said. “They have played an important role in helping and backing our armed forces in fighting terror and outlaws.”

Like many legislators, Mr. Maliki said he favored tying any withdrawal to the ability of Iraqi forces to protect civilians.

While most of the Iraqis interviewed blamed the Americans for the country’s deterioration, several echoed the sentiments of members of Congress who blamed the Iraqi government for failing to provide services and for allowing sectarianism to dominate.

However, several Iraqis noted that it was the Americans who created the government. And the corollary, they say, is that Americans bear the responsibility for fixing it. Some went further, saying the Americans should start all over again — even if it meant they would be here for years.

Reporting was contributed by Khalid Ansary, Sahar Nageeb, Ahmad Fadam, Kareem Hilmi and Iraqi employees of The New York Times in Diyala, Mosul, Kurdistan and Anbar.

A version of this article appears in print on , on page A10 of the New York edition with the headline: In Iraq, Sectarian Violence Tempers a Desire for Troop Withdrawal. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe